Women in Science, Medicine and Mathematics

Augusta Stowe-Gullen

Born Ann Augusta Stowe on July 27, 1857, in Mount Pleasant, Ontario, Canada. She was the eldest of 3 children born to, John Stowe & Emily Howard Jennings Stowe, her parents were avid social reformers. Emily is the founder of the Canadian Women's Suffrage Association & is often considered by many as the first female doctor, to publicly practice medicine in Ontario. From early on, Augusta knew she wanted to pursue a career in medicine. She passed the entry exam for the Ontario College of Physicians & Surgeons, in 1879 & was accepted into the medical program at Victoria College (now part of the University of Toronto). Needless to say there were very few opportunities available to women, in the medical field & female students at other universities faced scorn from their male peers. Though more doors were open to Augusta than her mother, she was still the only woman in her class. Her classmates teased her & tried to haze her but they eventually accepted her into the fold. She graduated in 1887, becoming the first female doctor to receive a medical degree in Canada.

A week later, she married a fellow classmate, John Gullen. Instead of going on their honeymoon, they took an undergraduate course on pediatric diseases, at a university in New York. After returning to Canada, Augusta was appointed Demonstrator of Anatomy, at the new Women's Medical College, in Toronto; which was co-founded by her mother, Emily Howard Jennings Stowe. Augusta was the first female member of staff at the school. She was also employed at the Toronto Western Hospital, which her husband, John, had helped found with several other doctors. In 1896, Augusta delivered the hospital's first baby. She also helped put together the Women's Board, now known as the Volunteer Resources. In 1910, Augusta was elected to the University of Toronto's governing council, as a representative of women in medicine. Meanwhile, she also ran a private practice, from her home. Throughout her career, Augusta travelled all over the globe, lecturing, attending medical conferences & visiting other medical institutions.

She was also an enthusiastic activist for women's political independence, she was a member of a number of human rights organizations including, University Women's Club & Canadian Women's Suffrage Club; she founded the National Council of Women of Canada, along with her mother, in 1893. Augusta was one of 2 women appointed to the Toronto School Board, in 1892. She took part in a "mock parliament", which were organized in British Columbia, Manitoba & Ontario, by the Women's Christian Temperance Movement (WCTU) & the Dominion Women's Franchise Association. The mock parliament in Toronto, was held in February 1896, attempted to drum up more support for the women's rights cause. In these parliaments, traditional gender roles were reversed; women participated in political debates, while their husbands stayed home to look after the children. Augusta & her mother, Emily Stowe, both played parliamentary ministers.

When her mother passed away in 1903, Augusta was elected president of the Canadian Suffrage Association & the Dominion Women's Franchise Association & vice-president of the National Council of Women. In 1910, Augusta was re-elected to the University of Toronto's governing council, again as a representative of women in medicine. Meanwhile, she also continued running a private practice, from her home. On April 12, 1917, Ontario became the 5th Canadian province to grant women the right to vote.

A passionate activist & pioneering female doctor like her famous mother before her, Augusta Stowe-Gullen, was awarded the Order of the British Empire, in 1935. She passed away on September 25, 1943, in Toronto, Ontario. She was 86 years old.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ann-augusta-stowe-gullen